Does plant ecosystem thermoregulation occur? An extratropical assessment at different spatial and temporal scales

Summary

• To what degree plant ecosystems thermoregulate their canopy temperature ( T _c) is critical to assess ecosystems' metabolisms and resilience with climate change, but remains controversial, with opinions from no to moderate thermoregulation capability.

• With global datasets of T _c, air temperature ( T _a), and other environmental and biotic variables from FLUXNET and satellites, we tested the ‘limited homeothermy’ hypothesis (indicated by T _c & T _a regression slope < 1 or T _c < T _a around midday) across global extratropics, including temporal and spatial dimensions.

• Across daily to weekly and monthly timescales, over 80% of sites/ecosystems have slopes ≥1 or T _c > T _a around midday, rejecting the above hypothesis. For those sites unsupporting the hypothesis, their T _c– T _a difference (Δ T) exhibits considerable seasonality that shows negative, partial correlations with leaf area index, implying a certain degree of thermoregulation capability. Spatially, site‐mean Δ T exhibits larger variations than the slope indicator, suggesting Δ T is a more sensitive indicator for detecting thermoregulatory differences across biomes. Furthermore, this large spatial‐wide Δ T variation (0–6°C) is primarily explained by environmental variables (38%) and secondarily by biotic factors (15%).

• These results demonstrate diverse thermoregulation patterns across global extratropics, with most ecosystems negating the ‘limited homeothermy’ hypothesis, but their thermoregulation still occurs, implying that slope < 1 or T _c < T _a are not necessary conditions for plant thermoregulation.

Abstract

See also the Commentary on this article by Drake, 238: 921–923 .